Product relating to smoking substances and means for making the same



g 1932- J. 1.. BROWN 11,871,153

PRODUCT RELATING TO SMOKING SUBSTANCES AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME Filed May 17. 1929 Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN L. BROWN, 0]? CATONSVILLE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF '10 WILLIAM W. VARNEY, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND PRODUCT RELATING TO SMOKING SUBSTANCES AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME Application filed May 17, 1929. Serial No. 863,868.

In the manufacture of smoking articles, or substances, as, for example, the making of tobacco into cigars, or the manufacture of cigarettes. it will be found that uniformity does not always exist in the raw material used, or in the use of prepared material. and variation is frequently found in the rate of combustion, or combustibility, of the substances involved.

The object of my invention is the production of a smoking substance whose combustibility, flavor and other properties desirable in a smoking bunch may be regulated at will.

A further object of my invention is the method of increasing or decreasing the combustible qualities of a smoking substance, as circumstances may require.

A further object of my invention is the substance so produced by my process enumerated above.

I have discovered that by my process I can treat natural raw materials and also artificial manufactured materials. I may, for example. treat the tobacco leaf, or other leaf, or blends, or certain raw materials; or, I may treat the wrappers and binders made of flI'tlfi-r cial materials. such as, paper, cellulose, or the manufactured article known to the trade as cellophane or viscose as an emulsified cellulose, as known in chemistry.

I have discovered that taking a substance, perforating, puncturing, or otherwise treating it as hereinafter set forth in the degree desired, affects its combustibility to a more or less extent according to the material involved.

I have further discovered that by placing with or upon the material used, such as tobacco leaf, or perforated or punctured sheet cellophane or viscose, either before or after such material has been processed, desirable substances that will control the combustibility of such material, treated with a petuning mixture more inflammable than tobacco, such as alfalfa, flowers or buds, thoroughly cured, or other inflammable desired natural substances, I can produce a sheet of combustible material suitable for cigar binders, or fillers. cigar wrappers and cigarette wrappers. I may also change the rate of combustion of either of these classes as desired by means of my petuning composition, or the make-up thereof.

By the puncturing or roughening process the substance operated upon is rendered more inflammable, just as shavings are more readily ignited than the solid wood from which they are obtained.

I have discovered that roseof Sharon (althea) either dried or fresh, ground to a paste in water and glycerine, may be colored, if desired, by exposing, heating, or otherwise exposing the paste to contact with iron, the action of the acid therein upon the iron producing the color and forming an excellent petuning substance; in like manner, the other petuning substances mentioned herein may be colored.

The substance, cellophane, herein referred to, is a product formed of highly purified cellulose which is mercerized with caustic soda, the resulting alkali-cellulose being treated with carbon disulfide to form cellulose xanthate which is dissolved in water and caustic soda to form Viscose, thin layers of viscose being coagulated by a solution of mineral salts and the cellulose regenerated by mineral acids; the sheet so obtained being washed, bleached and impregnated with a softener such as glycerine, and then dried; any suitable cellulose may be used, as I have found cellulose to be practically a neutral burning substance, by which I mean without taste or flavor by itself. When I use the term cellophane or viscose, I mean any substantially pure celluose product.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists of the methods employed, combination and arrangements of systems, apparatus and means as hereinafter specifically provided and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawing of the herein-described embodiment of my invention, I have illustrated a tobacco-leaf and a sheet of cellophane or viscose punctured by an extremely simple puncturing apparatus operated by hand; but I do not wish to limit myself to a hand proc ess, as the leaves or sheets in commercial operation would be run through embossing rolls, or other forming machines, puncturing, embossing or cutting devices, to any extent desired.

Figure 1 shows a sheet of cellulose cellophane or viscose punctured with sharp instruments, such as needles; Fig. 2 shows a sheet similar to that shown in Fig. 1, punctured or pierced with sharp instruments, such as knives; Fig. 3 shows a modification of the piercing in the shape of angular cuts; Fig. 4 shows a similar sheet embossed to represent a natural leaf; Fig. 5 shows a similar sheet embossed and punctured with a punch removing some of the material; Fig. 6 is a natural tobacco leaf punctured either with sharp instruments, such as knives, or with punches, removing some of the material and leaving holes; Fig. 7 is a hand-piercing tool consisting of a number of needles or punches assem bled on a holder; Fig. 8 represents a pad preferably of resilient material, such as, rubber, upon which a natural leaf is shown ready for piercing by slapping the hand-tool 3 on to and through the same; Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of a machine for accomplishing certain requirements of this invention; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 9, and Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of the piercing roll shown in Fig. 9 with improved clothing thereon.

This view is to show the resilient housing material 5 covering the piercing implements 4. The piercing implements 4 are secured in holder 3, and the resilient housing material,

such as soft rubber, is secured to holder 3 and u just covers the points of the piercing implements 4; so that, when piercing takes place the implements are protruded through the material to be pierced compressing the resilient housing material 5. As soon as pressure is released from the piercing the housin material resumes its normal condition and orces the pierced material oif the piercing implements 4, thus acting as an automatic cleaning device.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 is the artificial sheet or material operated upon. 2 is a natural leaf. 3 and 3 are a holder for supporting the piercing instruments; in Fig. 7 it is shown as a block of wood 3; in Fig. 9 it is shown as a roll 3'. 4 and 4' are the piercing implements which may be sharp pointed, punch-like, or any desired form for piercing. In the modification shown in Fig. 11, 5 and 5 are a resilient housing material preferably of soft rubber in which piercing implements 4 and 4' are imbedded practically to their limit, this being an element which presses the pierced articles away from the piercing implements. 6 and 6 are the pads or cushions upon which the material is supported while being pierced and may be of somewhat resilient nature, or may be more or less hard, as material and-operation requires. I have found that rubber of a harder or less resilient character than the resilient housing material 5 or 5' to be suitable. 7 is a reservoir for holding the petuning mixture where the same is in fluid form as adapted in the machine shown in Fig. 9; this petuning mixture especially when in a thicker paste may be spread on by hand by means of brushes or swabs, or it may be done by means of a roll or coating device. In fact, the apparatus shown in Fig. 9 will carry a petuning mixture of rather thick consistency, if desired, a surplus being eliminated by pressure. 8 is the petuning mixture applying roll, 9 being its conjugate or sustaining roll. 10 and 11 are drawing and drying rolls, the same being supplied with means for heating and shown by stem-pipe 12. These rolls preferably carry the embossing devices or molds, in which case 10 and 11 are conjugate embedding rolls steam-heated where it is desirable to artificially dry the product. 13 is a driving means, as shown an electric motor which operates all the rolls by means of wormgear drive and chain-gear belting, as shown. 14 are pipes for conducting air under pressure on the side of the sheet adjacent to the piercing means whereby the same may be blown off from the piercing means when the resilient housing materia 5 is not used. Either the resilient housing material 5 or 5, or the air detaching means 14, may be used, or both may be used at the same time depending upon the character of material operated Where the natural leaf is being pierced, only elements 3 or 3, 4 and 4' and 6 and 6' and 5 and 5' and/or 14 are used, the'leaf be ing petuned by passing it through petuning rolls 8 and 9. These two sets of rolls being operated as separate machines. The leaf is then passed through drying rolls 10 and 11.

Where it is desired to work the leaf in magazine form for machine operation thereafter, the raw leaf may be placed on a conveyor 15 of thin, porous material, which conveyor is wound on roll 16 and from which it is fed, the leaf being placed thereon before entering the piercing apparatus it then passes through the piercing apparatus, the petuning apparatus and the drying rolls still adhering to the conveyor, where the conveyor and leaves may be separated, or the conveyor may be wound on a roll with the leaves contained thereon, the latter roll not being shown in the view. The dried rolls in this case are smooth and not embossed.

When sheets of cellulose, or other similar material, are run through the machine shown in Fig. 9, it is handled in exactly the same manner that the conveyor 15 is handled, the

same replacing the conveyor; in the latter case, rolls 10 and 11 may be embossing rolls.

Referring particularly to Fig. 11, which shows an enlarged view of holder 3, piercing implement 4 and resilient housing material 5, it will be noticed that the surface of the resilient housing material 5 is substantially at the limit of the piercing implement 4 when not compressed. In operation it is compressed permitting piercing implement 4 or 4 to be exposed and accomplish the piercing, and when the pressure is released it acts as a means for forcing the pierced material off the piercing implements in other words, it is a self-cleaning appliance.

Referring further to piercing im lements 4 or 4', I have used needle points, ut very fine, small punches may be used. This is desirable for fine cigar work where a close imitation of the natural leaf is desired when working with sheet cellophane, the petuning filling up these openings and forming the potted effect of the natural leaf. The petuning serves a very useful purpose by rendering the punctured cellophane air-tight when used for binders and wrappers for cigars, or for cigarette wrappers or any other smoking article.

To be more specific concerning the petuning mixture mentioned above, I have made it from various substances. For example, a mixture of rose leaves-that is, the leaf of the flower dried, or in its natural state'and glycerine ground to a paste in a mortar has been used. This may be applied over the sheet before or after the punching or pricking, preferably after, so as to fill up the openings. Water maybe used satisfactorily in lpllace of glycerine.

the making of my petlming mixtures, I have discovered that after the substance has been thoroughly macerated upon being laid on an iron plate it becomes sufliciently oxidized or colored by the iron .to assume a tobacco color. I

In the specification and claims, when I use the term, puncture, or puncturing, I

ineans as pricked or penetrated with a needle, punched, whereby a part is removed forming a hole, cut, as by making a slit without removing the material, or by slits out of which the material has been removed; or an abramen of the surface to cause a roughening thereof to affect the combustion, or furnish means for holding a paste, or to permit a pctunmg lmpenetration.

In the specification and claims, when I use the term, petuning I mean the treating of a substance, leaf, s eet, or other matenal with a prepared solution, or paste, as the case may be, to effect a flavoring, as when rose leaves, tobacco or other natural or artificlal products are used; or to affect the combustlon, as when certain chemicals ma be used, such as saltpeter, etc"; or when th are used, as the substances used for flavoring also affect the combustibility usually improving or increasing the same, being of a lighter and more inflammable character than the substance treated, it being a well-lmown fact that certain leaves of tobacco are of poor combustibility and need treating to improve the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by letters patent is:

1. A combustible product embossed to resemble a natural leaf punctured and a petuning substance intimately associated with said punctured roduct filling said punctures.

2. A smo in aggregation consisting of a carrier of in ammable material provided with openings and an inflammable petuning material carried by said carrier in said openings.

3. A smokin aggregation consisting of a carrier of infl ammable material provided with openings and an inflammable petuning material carried by said carrier in said open' ings by means of intimate association therewith by absorption.

4. A punctured sheet of smoking material petuned with a combustible paste of flowers or blooms of botanical plants filling said punctures.

5. A punctured sheet of smoking material petuned with a paste of rose of Sharon (althea) filling said punctures.

6. A punctured sheet of smoking material petuned with a chemically prepared mixture of eater inflammability than the said smo ing material filling said unctures.

JOHN L. ROWN. 

